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World: r3wp

[Plugin-2] Browser Plugins

Volker
15-May-2006
[798]
- protect access to real file-pathes. kind of chroot. getting 'what-dir 
can be a good hint for attacks i guess. At least mozilla puts a random 
part in profile-folders.
Sunanda
15-May-2006
[799]
A couple of quick thoughts:

[*] Don't allow reading/writing outside of a local sandbox......That 
includes not allowing access to URLs elsewhere on the web.  permitting 
wider local access and permitting wider web access should be separate 
security settings
[*] Disallow send by default
Pekr
15-May-2006
[800x4]
huh, are we talking rebol then?
disallowing send? why? can't you just send email by java script?
I would not limit rebol networking at all, I would add some security, 
yes, but not limitation ...
What Volker suggests might work, but then rebol's secure dialect 
should be extended ....
Volker
15-May-2006
[804x3]
Yes of course with dialog. And some way to set prferences. I like 
how noscript does that.
disallowing send - how many spam can i send on your account while 
you run my reblet?
Maybe change it and open the users mail-client with the prepared 
email?
Maxim
15-May-2006
[807x2]
that is a very good idea volker!
this should actually be added as a standard REBOL feature IMHO!
Volker
15-May-2006
[809x2]
Thinking about it, yes. Maybe the standard things native, browser, 
email, editor. With an option to use mail and editor inbuild. Maybe 
these could run by 'launch, so they are rebol, but reblets cant touch 
the real code.
BTW how about changing the exe to a thin wrapper around the dll? 
Would be a single download for both. (could be offered in both ways, 
completely one exe, or wrapper + plugin + dll).
Allen
15-May-2006
[811x2]
Volker. Jaime.  Clipboard access should probably raise a security 
request, like it does in (secured) browsers.   Maybe it should also 
be part of 'secure  ...
woops, not Jaime ==> Josh
Volker
15-May-2006
[813x2]
Yes. its tricky. restriction is very inconvenient, but snooping can 
be valuable. I sometimes even clip passwords..
Maybe a native 'field, which is not accessible from the script until 
"enter", and allowing pasting there? Rebol3, how much protection 
can modules give?
Allen
15-May-2006
[815]
Yes. You should try disabling third party cookies in your browsers 
and see how much stuff is leaked to  through that., easy enough to 
steal from a form a user just filled out ;-)
ScottT
15-May-2006
[816]
Looks like Volker covered the security issues I'd note.  About Rebol 
as a COM server process--I would think that would be the way to go. 
 Pretty sure that is how Acrobat runs, too.  Basically, the first 
time you run into a PDF on the web Acrobat32 starts, and handles 
all instances.
Anton
15-May-2006
[817]
To disallow send properly means a mini firewall.  If you disallow 
SEND, script implements its own function. If you remove smtp scheme, 
script implements its own smtp scheme. Therefore, you have to get 
it at the root, which is to block outgoing tcp on port 25.
Pekr
16-May-2006
[818]
hmm, blocking port 25? What if I am a hacker and I run smtp on purpose 
on different port? ;-)
Henrik
16-May-2006
[819]
let's hope hackers are very stupid then :-)
Volker
16-May-2006
[820]
That mini-firewall is in my secure-proposal:  secure [net ask tcp://rebol.com 
allow].

Although securing ports would be nice too, secure [net ask tcp://rebol.com 
80 8080 - 9090 allow].
Oldes
16-May-2006
[821]
Be carefull with restricting Rebol. I like Rebol, because I can simply 
do things, which I cannot do in other apps. I cannot believe, that 
Maxim wants to remove send even from Rebol and replace it with some 
application. Why? Do I need xxMB large aplication just to send message? 
What will be better in Rebol than in Flash, if you remove the best 
parts of Rebol?
Volker
16-May-2006
[822]
Because you run in the browser now and spy/adware/spammers will love 
rebol without such things.
Maxim
16-May-2006
[823]
Oldes, it should be a different word yes. every plugin does not send 
mail directly, they prepare the mail. it is what user expects.
Volker
16-May-2006
[824]
With exe people run rebol intentionally (although /desktop goes in 
the other direction). With plugin user goes to a web-page and webdesigner 
turns that into a rebol-page without notice.
Oldes
16-May-2006
[825]
I agree, that some security is needed, but just want to say, not 
to give everything away just because there may be one bad guy
Pekr
16-May-2006
[826]
I ask once again - isn't it possible to send email using javascript 
and getting into browser settings?
Maxim
16-May-2006
[827]
we must not view rebol in the browser as a means to distribute any 
apps.   I also think the plugin should have a complete control panel 
which allows user to choose from "allways/ask/never" for every sensitive 
aspect.
Volker
16-May-2006
[828]
If that is possible the browser is severely broken.
Oldes
16-May-2006
[829]
Rebol as a plugin is here more then 2 years. It was plenty of time 
to do evil things
Volker
16-May-2006
[830]
It is *here*, but not *everywhere* as flash is.
Oldes
16-May-2006
[831]
First thing what should be done is better security request window
Pekr
16-May-2006
[832]
Security extension, yes, removal of something - hehe, how uneducated 
imo :-) Is smtp so difficult to build? Having tcp socket is dangerous 
already, as I can build my custom smtp in script, and have server 
at the other end of the country, which listens on 8080 and doing 
smtp ....
Oldes
16-May-2006
[833]
The current security window is almost useless as I never see the 
directory I'm dealing with
Maxim
16-May-2006
[834]
I agree oldes, and we cant "remember" specific directories!
Volker
16-May-2006
[835]
Pekr, you can not build smtp if the sandbox does not let you connect 
to a mailserver.
Pekr
16-May-2006
[836]
Maxim - I do agree about unificed control panel icon options, as 
Java does - I would hate thousands of messy dialogs for xy features 
which pop-up-I-don't know-when :-)
Maxim
16-May-2006
[837]
or tcp ports, or URL roots...
Volker
16-May-2006
[838]
And a good sandbox lets you connect only to your homeserver, where 
the reblet comes from.
Pekr
16-May-2006
[839]
Volker - Volker - how do you distinguish mailserver?
Volker
16-May-2006
[840]
url.
Oldes
16-May-2006
[841]
And I'm sure, you will not be able send emails from my browser as 
I don't remember that I allowed to use such a port to any application
Volker
16-May-2006
[842x2]
You can also run a mail-server on the machine where you host the 
reblet, then send works.
Without that restriction rebol is a perfect tunnel through firewalls. 
Connect to home, connect to localhost/something inside lan too, have 
fun.
Pekr
16-May-2006
[844]
I would like extending security dialect ..... but for setttings, 
I do prefer control-panel ... becuase there will be probably many 
settings :-)
Oldes
16-May-2006
[845]
Volker: And what's bad on connection to home?
Volker
16-May-2006
[846]
OTOH users want to send emails. But with their own trusted app, not 
with a high-performance hidden 'send. So 'send should pop up that 
mailer IMHO.
Pekr
16-May-2006
[847]
with browser - you can connect to whatever port too, no? It allows 
for url schema, so localhost:1234 is valid too .... just a http scheme, 
but ...